Cemeteries as Living Spaces

Honouring the past, enriching the future

The concept of the public cemetery first emerged in the nineteenth century, and today’s memorial parks continue many of these traditions. They provide spaces for laying loved ones to rest, honoring their lives, and practicing cultural and spiritual rites. Beyond these roles, cemeteries offer places of peace and reflection, where families and communities can connect and find sanctuary. As RPCV looks to the future, these functions remain essential while expanding to include opportunities for education, nature appreciation, and community engagement—transforming cemeteries into living spaces that enrich both heritage and wellbeing.

Cemeteries as Living Spaces is RPCV’s forward-looking strategy to guide the planning and management of cemeteries into the future. It reimagines these spaces as inclusive, multifunctional environments that complement the natural landscape and respond to community needs. The strategy aims to deliver social and environmental benefits—such as wellbeing, cultural connection, and sustainability—while upholding RPCV’s core values of respect, compassion, integrity, collaboration, and environmental stewardship.

Cemeteries have immense social, community, ecological and historical value - that’s why we see them as Living Spaces. As RPCV continues to develop its plans for the future, we look forward to engaging more often with the community to ensure that needs and expectations are met.

We invite you to download and read our Cemeteries as Living Spaces document. We welcome your feedback on the vision and strategy for our community cemeteries.